EUA webinar

The Role of Universities in Regional Innovation: The Case of Research and

Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3)

26 October 2016

Brussels, Belgium

Overview

• Introduction

• The role of Higher Education Institutions in Regional Innovation

• The Challenge

• Relevance of Higher Education Institutions

• EUA policy and activities

• Discussion

The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Regional Innovation

Peter Haring Bolívarpeter.haring@uni-siegen.de

Vicerector Research, University of Siegen, GermanyRIS3 strategy group speaker EUA / member HRK

SDG ESIF delegate of the EUA

3

HEI and regional systems of innovation

Contents

I. Challenge

II. Innovation

III. HEI role

IV. Quid nunc

The Challenge

… emerging economies will increase x5

… 19 of the 30 largest economies will be from the emerging world.

… marked decline in the economic and political might of many small population,

ageing, rich economies in Europe

Innovation capabilities slowing down

Regional Innovation Scoreboard indicates slowing down of innovation capabilities throughout Europe

„Where Europe is most and least innovative”, in 6 maps (Washington Post, Aug 2016); Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2016.

ESIF harshly critizised – gap is increasing!

• Study indicates that larger ESIF invest correlates with slower development!

Breidenbach et al., „EU Structural Funds and Regional Income Convergence – A sobering experience“, (RUHR, 2016).

Europe is in danger of loosing relevance

Delivery of tangible innovation impact

RDI investment is restricted innovation efficiency is key

Unique situation <-> general requirements

Future challenges require efficient regional innovation systems, which need to fulfill:

Enduringcommitment of

stakeholders

Participation atstrategy

definition levelproven impactof HEI as key

partner

Time!

Motivation?Continuingevaluation andoptimizationl

Processtransparency &

publication!

Sustainability?

Local specificsand industrial

base

Effectivetrilateralnetworks

Programmatic coherence and

synergySynchronization?

Politics

Trust!

Q.Control?

Relevance of HEI

Grand Challenges

Smart

Growth

Inclusive

Growth

Global Responsibility

Sustainable Growth

GLOBAL CHALLENGES

• Make solar energy economical

• Manage the nitrogen cycle

• Advance health informatics

• Prevent nuclear terror

• Advance personalized training

• Provide energy from fusion

• Provide access to clean water

• Secure cyberspace

• Engineer the tools of scientific

discovery

• Develop carbon sequestration

methods

• Reverse-engineer the brain

• Enhance virtual reality

National Academy of Engineering

FILL THE GAP BETWEEN RESEARCH

RESULTS AND REAL LIFE PRACTICE

markku.markkula@cor.europa.eu

Science &

Society

Dialogue

Systems

Design

Foresight Mental

Models

& Special Role of Universities

Multitudinous possibilities

cf. Connecting Universities to Regional Growth: A Practical Guide, EC REGIO, RIS3 group (2011)

Nature of intervention

Co

mp

lexi

ty

transactionalhigh volume

low

hig

h

tranformationallow volume

Consultancy services

Innovation vouchers

Knowledge transfer partnership

Science parks

Reasearch & Technology Centers

Graduate enterprise

staff spin-out

Network and cluster development

Encouraging IP deveopment

International linkages

Qualification and education

Increasing mobility

Talent attraction and retention

Volunteering and community work

Widening participation

Cultural development and place making

Enhancing

social

equality

Measurable economic impact

• Direct economic impact of HEI demonstrated, e.g in Germany direct positive economic impact of HEI estimated at 190 B€ HEI, creating jobs and increasing GDP.

Source: Schubert, T./Kroll, H. (2013): Hochschulen als regionaler Wirtschaftsfaktor (Study on behalf of „Stifterverband“)

Reduction of unemployment rate by 0,7% - 3,5 %

Per capita GDP increase by 1100 – 3000 €

rate by 0,7% - 3,5 %

Most impact is local

Source: Schubert, T./Kroll, H. (2013): Hochschulen als regionaler Wirtschaftsfaktor (Study on behalf of „Stifterverband“)

GDP increase Patents Householdincome

Reduction in Unemployment

Regional share of HEI competiveness impact

Enduring interaction networks are key to regional growth

HEI are a proven stakeholder for regional innovation in many perspectives

It can be quantified and most impact is local

Largest Factor of HEI influence is human talent

Conclusions:

RIS3 Means New Options for Universities In Europe's journey for transformation, we all – every city and every region, as well as every university – have to be pioneers, to explore new ways for the future of our societies. The concept of Smart Specialisation opens up new opportunities also for universities, above all:

1. Universities should act as the knowledge base in defining and implementing regional RIS3 strategies;2. Universities can and should focus more on societal challenges and as a result, broadening the innovation base for tackling these challenges;3. Universities need to strengthen their role as natural platforms for entrepreneurial discovery;4. Universities have a crucial role in creating regional innovation ecosystems to be based on the co-creation culture and the network of innovation hubs;5. Universities can be key actors in creating the new culture for multi-financing and project portfolio management (i.e. orchestration).

markku.markkula@cor.europa.eu

Examples

Research infrastructure:Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC)

o a consortium project of 6 partners

o total cost of 202 M €

o 116 M € allocated to MU

CEITEC Masaryk University

7. Molecular veterinary medicine

1. Advanced nanotechnologies and microtechnologies

2. Advanced materials

3. Structural biology

4. Genomics and proteomics of plant systems

6. Molecular medicine

5. Brain and mind research

~40 research groups,focus on life sciences

Prof. Volli Kalm

Rector of the University of Tartu

Building an entrepreneurial university: A case study of the

University of Tartu

Regional Innovation Strategy

EUA policy and activities

Mobilise 83 high-level representatives of universities from 69 universities in 26 countries

EUA Board

EUA Council

Reporting directly to

Providing information to

Research Policy

Working Group (RPWG)

General EUA R&I policy development,

ERA, H2020, research partnerships,

relations with EC-EP

EUA-Council of

Doctoral

Education

Steering

Committee

EUA-EPUE

Energy Platform

UNI-SET Steering

Committee

Expert Group on

Science 2.0/

Open Science

Expert Group on

Smart

Specialisation

(RIS3)

EUA R&I Overall Consultative Committees – Organisation 2015

Recognition of universities as a key partner in regional development

Need to build on the specific profile and opportunities of European regions

Active promotion, publication and evaluation of RIS3 to motivate stakeholder participation

Coordinate innovation programmes, reducing cross-programme complexity

alignment of activity portfolios and stakeholder timelines to RIS3

Use funding synergetically for R&D infrastructure, human resources, cooperation and deployment platforms

Develop incentives relating to regional priorities; R&D careers outside academia; heterogeneous collaboration platforms

Ensure the sustainability of Smart Specialisation Strategies beyond structural funding timeframe

Expert Group on Research and Innovation Strategies

for Smart Specialisation (RIS3)

Madrid Workshop (2015)

• Workshop on “Universities promoting regional innovation acrossEurope”

• Convened jointly by Crue/CPU and EUA and kindly hosted by theAutonomous University of Madrid (24 November 2015)

• Six case studies from regions in Spain, France, Portugal andGermany

• Discussion on the thematic areas of:

o The role of universities in the design and implementation of SmartSpecialisation (RIS3)

o Coordination of regional, national and European programmes

o Regional perspectives on Smart Specialisation

Outcomes RIS3 Activities 2015• Seven Main Recommendations :

“Universities are central to regional innovation across Europe”

• RIS3 Workshop Report:

http://www.eua.be/Libraries/publications-homepage-list/eua-workshop-report-quot-universities-promoting-regional-innovation-across-europe-quot.pdf?sfvrsn=6

“Universities are central to regional innovation across Europe”

Main messages

• Effective Smart Specialisation is an ongoing and evolving process: politicalsupport is needed to promote strong co-operation among relevant stakeholders inregional innovation.

• There are already many good examples of effective Smart Specialisation inboth established and more recent accession countries. Specific showcase initiativesshould be set up with a view to sharing good practice in research and innovationactivities for regional development across Europe.

• Decision-making processes in the area of Smart Specialisation and regionalinnovation should be evidence-based and transparent.

• Regions should use an appropriate range of assessment approaches andmultidimensional measures that are able to capture diverse effects in the localinnovation ecosystem.

• The synergetic use of funds can only be achieved with higher levels of strategicand practical alignment of different funding instruments. Further harmonisationand simplification of regulations would be highly beneficial.

• There is recognition that co-creation of knowledge through active engagementwith external stakeholders should be valued on a par with traditional researchactivities.

• Investing in even stronger links between education and research will supportthe development of human talent which is the fundamental driver of innovation.

Expert Group on Research and Innovation Strategies

for Smart Specialisation (RIS3)

Warsaw Workshop (2016)

• Workshop on “Universities as motors of innovation in Centraland Eastern Europe”

• Convened jointly by CRASP and EUA and kindly hosted by theUniversity of Warsaw (13-14 October 2016)

• Nine case studies from regions in Austria, Czech Republic,Estonia, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland; 2 EUrepresentatives and Polish authorities

• Discussion on the specific role of universities in regional innovation in Central and Eastern Europe:

o Specific Challenges

o Strategic participation of universities

o Cooperation across Europe

“Universities as motors of innovation in Central and

Eastern Europe”

Main messages (preliminary version)

• Human talent is the fundament of regional innovation. Universities aretherefore instrumental in creating and sustaining innovation.

• Open inclusive systems are crucial to enable innovation. Enduring politicalengagement and competitive processes need to be ensured at the local level.

• Innovation results from research excellence and is not an independentdimension. Opportunities and constraints of the local context need to be takeninto account (‘qualified excellence’).

• Synergy needs to be addressed systematically – cooperative use of differentfunds remains completely aleatory given the multilevel governance structures.Re-shaping of cohesion fund use in Europe could be a pilot for such efforts.

• There is need to raise public awareness on the added-value of Europeanprogrammes, in order to ensure continued public support.

• Social and cultural innovation aspects needs to be taken increasingly in focus

• An appropriate balance of fundamental and applied research is crucial toensure sustained innovation capabilities

Synergies between Structural Funds and

Horizon 2020

Policy input to mid-term review of Horizon

2020

EUA member consultation on H2020

• Developed in preparation for the mid-term review of H2020: to be launched by EC during autumn 2016

• Goal: to gather experience of universities with H2020 implementation (administrative, financial, strategic aspects)

• Survey launched in January 2016 – deadline March 2016

Topic: Synergies between H2020 and ESIF

The European Commission promotes the establishment of synergies between ESIF andHorizon 2020 in order to maximise impact and efficiency of public EU funding. One targetarea for a synergetic approach.

• Are you aware of the conceptof smart specialisation and theRIS3?

• If so, has your institution beeninvolved in the definitionand/or implementation ofRIS3?

80%

20%

Yes No

54%

46%

Yes No

Number of respondents: 142/153 Number of respondents: 110/113

• RIS3 are a promising area for synergies between ESIFand Horizon 2020, and, thus, for bolstering regional,national and European R&I ecosystems. However,their actual success will depend on more alignment,more coherence and more simplification offunding regulations, requirements and timelines thatin turn will enable and encourage more cooperationamong authorities and stakeholders from the publicand private sector.

Main message in the area of RIS3 from the EUA

member consultation on Horizon 2020

Discussion

Time for your questions!

Thank you for your attention ……… what is your regional strategy?

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